Biden 're-evaluating,' may cut Asia trip short
The White House on Tuesday left open the possibility that President Biden could cut short a weeklong trip to Asia as debt talks remain at a standstill.
National Security spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Biden will leave as planned for Japan on Wednesday for the Group of Seven summit but added, “We’re re-evaluating the rest of the trip now.”
“It’s difficult for me to tell you exactly what to anticipate at this point,” he said. “Given where we are right now, it’s also incredibly prudent and responsible for the president to take a look at the rest of the trip.”
The president is slated to be in Hiroshima, Japan until May 21. He then was expected to visit Papua New Guinea and later attend the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney on May 24.
“We’re going to evaluate where the situation is here and make a determination relatively soon,” Kirby said.
He noted that he can only speak to Biden’s plans at the G7 taking place this weekend and that the White House is “working through, thinking through” what the rest of the president’s week-long trip could look like.
“If the trip gets truncated or changed or modified in any way it should be nothing more than a statement of the president putting his priorities where they need to be,” Kirby said.
“We wouldn’t even be having this discussion about the effect of the debt ceiling debate on the trip if Congress would do its job and raise the debt ceiling, the way it’s always done,” he added.
Kirby also said that foreign leaders in Papua New Guinea and part of the Quad Leaders’ group would “understand” that Biden has to focus on avoiding default.
Biden and congressional leaders, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), are meeting later on Tuesday after staffers huddled over the last few days to discuss possible solutions.
The second meeting in less than one week comes up against the June 1 deadline the Treasury Department determined would be the date the U.S. could default on trillions of dollars of debt that could cause havoc on the financial system.